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A frontispiece is prefixed, containing profiles of twenty-four of the characters; but these are, as far as we can speak from thofe perfons whom we know, very unfatisfactory; and can only afford a pretence for increafing the price of the book.

ART. VIII. Travels in Portugal, and through France and Spain. With a Differtation on the Literature of Portugal, and the Spanish and Portugueze Languages. By Henry Frederick Link, Profeffor at the University of Roftock, and Member of various learned Societies. Tranflated from the German, by John Hinckley, Efq. With Notes by the Tranflator. 8vo. 504 pp 8s. Longman. 1801.

CONCERNING a tranflated work, there are two obvious

confiderations. What is the value of the original, and how is that value preferved in the tranflation? Where the original is of known and established character, the reprefentative must be strictly compared with it; where it is not, there may be a pofitive advantage in receiving a certain quantity of knowledge in a familiar language, which may counterbalance feveral imperfections. Such is the cafe of the prefent work. The author, Mr. Link, is a German Profeffor, and has written in the language of his country; a language very partially known at prefent in England: he is a man of fcience and enquiry; and in fome refpects better qualified, and more favoured by opportunity, for giving an account of Portugal, than any who have hitherto written on the fubject. Baretti's book had never much eftimation, and is, in truth, extremely trifling; Mr. Twifs, though fuperior to him, has by no means fatisfied the enquiries of the curious; and Mr. Murphy, with confiderable merit on fome points, particularly architecture and antiquities, expatiates only upon Batalha, Lisbon, Cintra, and Evora. He is alfo, according to this author, fometimes wrong; though we think we can prove, in fome instances, that Mr. Link has attacked him without juftice. Other works, that have more or lefs entered upon the defcription of Portugal, are not fuch as to anticipate the attempt of the Rostock Profeffor. Under thefe circumstances, the public will certainly feel fome obligation to Mr. Hinckley for prefenting the work to them in English, unless it fhould be thought that, by occupying the ground too haftily, he has prevented the task from being undertaken by fome perfon better qualified to execute it Without feeing the original, we can in a proper manner.

* Sée an account of his Travels in Portugal, Brit. Crit. vol. vi, P. 509.

eafily

eafily perceive, and indeed prove, that this tranflation is very indifferent; and appears rather like the exercise of a perfon withing to improve himself in German, than a work carefully finished, for the inftruction and gratification of English readers.

We fhall, in the prefent account, first notice the nature, and extent, and leading features of the work; then state a few objections which feem applicable to the original book; and, lastly, fhall notice thofe blemishes for which the tranflator alone appears to be refponfible.

Profeffor Link informs us that, in company with Count Hoffmanfegg, whom he attended as a fcientific affiftant, he employed the greater part of the year 1798, in travelling over Portugal, with minute attention. His opinion of other works on the fubject of that country, and his motives for producing the prefent, will be feen in the following paffage. After mentioning that botany and natural history were their chief objects, he thus proceeds:

"At that time we had no idea of publifhing an account of our tra vels as fuch; our chief attention was directed to invefligating the works of nature, especially the botanical riches of the country, with an activity and enthusiasm of which none but the true lovers of that charming fcience can form an adequate idea.

"On my return, I read all the accounts I could procure of travels in Portugal, and found that no one had feen fo much of that country as ourselves. I alfo perceived that most of the authors of these works were grofsly ignorant of the language, and gave many false accounts, or fuch as were only applicable to the inhabitants of the metropolis, but which they erroneously extended to the whole kingdom. In fhort, I read of nothing but complaints against the lazy, bigotted, and thiev if Portugueze, and faw with grief, that no one had defcribed the de lightful vales through which the Minho flows, the cultivation of which vies with that of England herself; that no one had bestowed due praise on the tolerant fpirit of the common people, of which I had many pleafing proofs, (I fpeak not of priests, who have a character of their own, and are alike in all countries where the government favours them*) that no one had proclaimed the fecurity enjoyed in a country where in my botanical excurfions I laid myfelf down by the road fide in unknown fpots, and, exhausted by the heat of the day, flept without care or apprehenfion.

"Thus I feized the pen to defend my friends the Portugueze, determining impartially to pourtray their character, their mode of life, and their agriculture, with which laft my occupations rendered me intimately acquainted; till thus a mere apology grew into a book of

*If the author had known the hiftory of the Church of England, and its uniformly tolerant fpirit, he would not have ventured an affer sion quite fo broad. Rev.

3

travels,

travels. It being often needful to draw a comparison between the Portugueze and their neighbours the Spaniards, I added a short account of our journey through Spain, and France is too important an object of public attention to omit the few obfervations I have prefixed, more particularly on provinces through which travellers have of late very rarely paffed.

"In this point of view then I hope the candid reader will confider the following work. Relative to France and Spain I shall confine myfelf to a few curfory remarks, partly because thofe countries are already pretty generally known, and partly becaufe we paffed more rapidly through them to Portugal, which was the grand object of our journey." P. iv.

The Profeffor gives fome account, though proportionally flight, of his journey through England, as well as France, and Spain. In leaving France, however, he has a remark which is curious, as representing the state of public opinion in that country, at the clofe of the year 1797.

"We did not quit without fome regret the territories of a republic, which at this time, owing to the peace of Campo Formio, had rifen into confequence, and kept a great part of Europe in awe. Nor is there any truth in the affertion, that it was then either dangerous or unpleafant to travel there. The roads were good, except in the neighbourhood of Bayonne, where the war had deftroyed them. The inns too were good, and very reasonable; and we travelled amid a race of polite and complaifant men. I have often performed botanical excurfions entirely alone to a confiderable distance, and in a country where I was a total stranger: but, on the other hand, it is equally far from true, that the inhabitants have seen any thing more than the name and the tree of liberty. Every where the people were difcontented with the government, which only maintained its power through fear, and the dread of all revolutions, which the nation muft naturally feel. Except at Paris, it did not appear that the inhabitants wished for the return of all the emigrants; and this was very natural. In fhort, every violent republican fhould be fent to France, to cure him of this contagious diforder; for there they would foon confefs, that a mild monarchy renders a country far happier than a republic." P. 71.

The account of Portugal does not commence till the 130th page, and the 12th Chapter; and the author foon explains to us his own particular feelings on the fubject of Portugueze

manners.

"On entering the inn at Elvas, we found the apartments and furniture fimilar to thofe of both the Caftiles, and of Eftremadura; nay both were perhaps ftill worse. The houses are generally better, and more convenient in Spain; but here we had no occafion to fend out for what we wanted, or perhaps ourselves to fetch every piece of bread or glafs of wine, as both food and drink are fupplied in every Portugueze inn, provided the traveller is contented with Portugueze fare. A dainty perfon might indeed find many things not fuited to his tafte;

but

but the inconvenience of having thefe trifles to attend to, after a long journey, is inconceivable. We met with good and ready attendance, decent fare, and our pretty and good-natured landlady had that animation of manner, that speaking intelligence of countenance, and that well-bred politeness, which are fo ftriking in this nation. What a difference between Badajoz and Elvas in this refpect! I shall often have occation to speak of the common people of Portugal; and I often look back with pleasure to the many happy hours I have spent with that friendly nation. But the reader will find my judgment of them very different from that of other travellers, who either were only acquainted with Lifbon, or never gave themselves the trouble of learning to speak the language." P. 132.

Some general obfervations of importance occur alfo in the 18th Chapter; on which we fhall also offer a remark.

"Murphy, who in his travels into Portugal has many very just remarks, is truly ridiculous in others. He fays, for inftance, fruit-women wear pointed caps, though he might, however, have eafily convinced himfelf of the contrary. Having alfo, perhaps, once feen fome per-fons playing at cards while waiting for their mafters, he fets this down as a general characteristic; but, with his permiffion, I have also once feen the fame in London. On Sunday, he says, that the hair-dreffers go about with their fwords and chapeaux-bras; this alfo may have happened once, but is by no means cuftomary. Fires feldom happen in Lifbon; but in the winter of 1798-9 they occurred very often, and a houfe was burnt down in which a young girl loft her life. He fays much in favour of the common people, and praifes the great politeness of the Portugueze; adding, that they conftantly give the right-hand to ftrangers in walking. Juft the contrary: it is fingular that, in direct oppofition to the customs of other nations, the Portugueze through politenefs give every one the left-hand. His knowledge of the language cannot be great, for he fays a Portugueze never fails to say, “I am dying with defire to fee you;" which he tranflates, with a violation of all grammar, morro com faudades de o ver*.

"What is faid in praife of this nation by Murphy and other writers is very juft; but what they fay against them is not unfrequently exaggerated. They who would judge of the nation by Lisbon run the risk of committing frequent errors; for this city is a rendezvous for all the vagabonds of the whole kingdom, and a great part of the foreigners of the lower ranks are alfo the fcum of other nations. I know that these last are fometimes very docile, and easily fall into the cuftom of hiring themfelves as banditti: for I know certainly of ferious propofals of this kind being made. But I must confefs that, notwithftanding the numbers of bad people among the lower claffes, and the unworthy manner in which foreigners often act toward the inhabi tants, examples are not wanting of true and difinterested hospitality among the common people. Round Lisbon, and in the villages, however, the true Portugueze character not unfrequently again appears, to which I have already borne teftimony of my full approbation.

* He should have faid, de ver a um. Tranf."

"Both

"Both the higher and lower claffes are very fond of a profusion of compliments, which flow in a torrent from every mouth. A common peafant meeting another takes off his hat quite low down, holds him a long while by the hand, enquires after his health and that of his family, and does not fail to add, I am at your commands, and your humble ferrant (eftou a feus ordens, feu criado. This is not a remark taken from a fingle inftance, for I have heard it extremely often from afsdrivers, and others of fimilar claffes. The Portugueze language indeed, even in the mouths of the common people, has naturally fomething well-bred and elegant; nor do they ever ufe oaths and indecent expreffions, like the English, French, and Spanish low execrations, though the loweft claffes indeed fometimes mention the devil. All the Portugueze are naturally talkative, and fometimes very infipid. The rich are faid to conceal a falfe heart beneath a profufion of polite expreffions. I have nothing to fay in defence of the higher claffes; they are as inferior to the Spaniards as the common people excel them. The want of science and tafte, which perhaps arife from the total want of works of art in this country; a government which never had wifdom or opportunity to bring into action the nobler paffions of mankind, the conftant and oppreffive neighbourhood of the English, who juftly feel their fuperiority, and the total decay of literature, are, I conceive, the chief caufes why the Portugueze nobles are formed of worse materials than any European nobility.

"The male fex are not handfome; and a tall man is rarely feen, the generality being short, fat, and fquare-made. Their features are allo feldom regular, turned up nofes and projecting lips being fo comThe difference mon as to fuggeft an idea of a mixture with negroes. between the Spaniards and the Portugueze is extremely ftriking, the latter being fat, the former meagre, the noses of the latter turned up, thofe of the former arched downward, fo that they only agree in their yellow complexions and black eyes. Of the fair-fex, the author of the New Picture of Lisbon, who was a Frenchman, and his German editor at Leipzig, Tilefius, differ; the former praifing, and the latter cenfuring them. In fact, they have the fame defects as the other fex, being of too low a ftature, and inclined to corpulency; but their countenances are expreffive, and their manners animated and friendly; which, with very fine eyes, long and uncommonly ftrong hair, very white teeth, full breafts, and extremely beautiful feet, form, in my opinion, a charming affemblage, and compenfate other irregularities. Although in Lisbon, as in every other great city, there is no scarcity of courtefans, and though, as their doors ftand open, every one may enter, yet they are far lefs importunate than in London, or the palais royal at Paris; but the defcription of them in the New Picture of Lisbon, though in fome refpects true, is on the whole exaggerated. But to return to ladies of condition. Thofe fofter graces which adorn the beauties of the north are rarely feen in Portugal; and perhaps they might as ill become the fire of Portugueze eyes as a burning climate can give them birth. Great beauties, however, may be feen in Lifbon, particularly when the flender northern shape and the fine white

* We have not feen this work.

Rev.

fkin

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